DAVID B. NEWMAN/Register Citizen Correspondent
Torrington native and New Jersey Nets draft pick Jordan Williams waits for a play during Friday night's charity game at Crosby High School in Waterbury. At right (red shorts) is Ryan Gomes of the Los Angeles Clippers. The games were held to benefit Gomes' Hoops for Heart Health foundation, and The Jair Alexander Mathis Trust Fund.

WATERBURY -- Torrington native and New Jersey Nets draft pick Jordan Williams returned to Connecticut just in time to help out a friend and play basketball for a pair of good causes on Friday night.

Williams participated in a charity all star game between the Ryan Gomes All Stars and The New York City Street Ballers at Crosby High School. Gomes was an All-State player at Wilby High School before becoming a star at Providence College. From there, Gomes was drafted by the Boston Celtics before he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the deal for Kevin Garnett. Gomes is currently a member of the Los Angles Clippers.

Before the Ryan Gomes All Stars took the floor in the nightcap, another game was played between the Waterbury Ballers and a group of state high school players known as the CT Select High School All Stars.

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The game benefited two causes that are close for Gomes. One is his foundation, which is called Hoops for Heart Health. That foundation looks to "educate student-athletes on Sudden Cardiac Arrest, then to support testing and the placement of medical devices, such as Portable Defibrillators, in gymnasiums and athletic fields around the country," according to the foundation's web site.

"It's for a good cause," Gomes said of the charity games. "And it's to raise money for my friend T.J.'s son."

That is the other cause. The Jair Alexander Mathis Trust Fund benefits Jair Alexander Mathis, whose father and Gomes' friend T.J. Mathis was gunned down in New Haven on Sept. 3.

Before getting ready to step out onto the court, Williams, a former standout at Torrington High School and the University of Maryland, took time out to talk about his recent trip to Las Vegas, where he played in a two-week tournament against other NBA players, including Al Harrington, John Wall, T.J. Ford, DeMar DeRozan and Derrick Caracter. Williams' team battled it out with others in a fall league where there were as many as eight teams playing per day. The tournament ended with two days of playoffs and a championship game on Friday, according to Impact Basketball's web site. Impact Basketball is the Las Vegas-based organization that set up the league.

When asked who the toughest challenge was, Williams said it was Caracter, who is 6-9 and weighs 275 pounds.

"He's a big guy," Williams said. "He played for UTEP. A real big, solid guy. A good player too. That was a lot of fun playing against him."

Williams said he has had some offers to play overseas, though there was nothing major. The NBA is currently in a lockout. The league canceled its preseason games and training camps Thursday.

"I'm just taking it day by day, going with the flow," Williams said.

Williams continues to try to stay focused as the lockout drones on. He added that there's nothing much that can be done about the lockout from his standpoint.

As for the decision to play in Gomes' charity basketball game, it was an easy one to make.

"Ryan's a really good friend of mine, and just to get involved, help him out in any way I can, especially with his friend T.J. passing, I really wanted to come and show my support," Williams said.

Both Williams and Gomes are in good shape. They both had the chance to show their skills against a team of tough New York players that included Half Man-Half Amazing. Williams and Gomes were joined on their team by former standouts Julian Allen of Crosby and Kelvin Davis of Sacred Heart, along with other former standouts from Waterbury, New Haven and Norwich (Mark Jones).

On one play in the first half, Williams scooped up a loose ball in the lane and jammed it with his right hand. On another play, he set a pick for Davis, then went to the basket. Davis hit Williams with a pass near the basket, and Williams finished it with a two-hand layup off the glass.

At halftime of the game, it was announced that Gomes' foundation has helped in an effort to make the city a HeartSafe community, along with Waterbury Hospital, St. Mary's, the Waterbury Chamber of Commerce, and the Waterbury Heart Center.

Williams now goes back to staying focused on being ready for the NBA to come back from its lockout.